As a member of a broadcast profession, today offers one of my favorite tidbits of American history....
On this day in 1938, Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre on the CBS Radio Network present their version of H.G. Welles "The War of the Worlds." I could go on for quite awhile about the so-called "hoax" of Welles' presentation of a Martian invasion of Earth, but in short, for a variety of reasons listeners all over the country were fooled into believing the radio play was real. The worst of it may have been in Trenton, NJ, where police fielded an estimated 2,000 calls in a couple of hours. There were incidents of panic all over the country, though not nearly as many as legend would suggest. Newspapers around the country launched a "fake news" campaign grossly exaggerating the extent of the panic, hoping to give the rapidly expanding radio industry a black eye. In the end, the FCC determined no laws had been broken, CBS promised to be more careful in its presentation of fictionalized drama, and Welles packed up the entire Mercury Theatre and moved them to Hollywood, where three years later, they formed the bulk of the cast of "Citizen Kane." Howard Koch, who wrote the War of the Worlds script, also went west and, a few years later, was principle screenwriter on "Casablanca."




On this day in 1974, Muhammad Ali regains the World Heavyweight Championship by knocking out George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire. The fight was promoted by Don King, who originally billed the match "From slave ship to championship." Upon learning of this, the president of Zaire ordered all posters promoting the fight to be burned. Undaunted, King rebranded the fight "The Rumble in the Jungle." Ali taunted Foreman for weeks before the fight, which took place at 4:30am local time to sync up with prime time in the US. Angry over Ali's boasting, Foreman came out swinging, but Ali hung back and absorbed the blows (he called the strategy "rope-a-dope.") After 5 rounds, Foreman was worn out, and Ali went on the offensive, knocking out the younger champion with just 2 seconds remaining in the 8th round.

Good thing the SoL wasn't erected at the Port of New Orleans. I'm sure Mitch would have had it removed.

On this day in 1517 (legend has it), Martin Luther, a German priest/scholar, nails a list of 95 revolutionary opinions to the door of Castle Church in Wittenburg. Tops among his 95 "theses" are that the pope should abolish the practice of accepting monetary payment for the forgiveness of sins, a practice called "indulgences." Luther is excommunicated by Pope Leo X and declared an outlaw by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, but within 15 years, the 95 Theses will be seen as the basis for the Protestant Reformation.

On this day in 1950, Earl Lloyd breaks the color barrier in the NBA, suiting up for the Washington Capitols. Two other black players are on NBA rosters as well, but Lloyd is the first to play. His time with the Caps is interrupted by the draft after just 7 games, and when his 2 years of service (including a tour in Korea) ends, the Capitols have gone out of business. But Lloyd signs with the Syracuse Nationals and plays for another 9 years. In 1970, Lloyd will become coach of the Detroit Pistons. Bill Russell had spent time as player/coach of the Celtics, but Lloyd is the first black full-time head coach.


On this day in 1984, Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, is shot and killed by her 2 bodyguards. Gandhi's 18-year realm is marked by religious strife, and she is unpopular with the nation's Sikh population. On Oct. 31, bodyguards Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, both Sikh, empty their guns into Gandhi as she is walking to her office. Both immediately throw down their guns and surrender to approaching police, but the officers open fire and Beant is killed. Satwant was convicted of the assassination and executed in 1989.

In 1966, the NFL was seeking to merge with the young American Football League, but there was the danger of running afoul of the federal government's laws against forming a monopoly. Needing some allies on Capitol Hill, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle approached LA Congressman Hale Boggs and Senator Russell Long and struck a deal. The NFL soon had its exemption, and on this day in 1966, the league announced it was awarding its 16th franchise to the city of New Orleans. City leaders immediately announced the new team would be named the Saints, who would begin play the following season.


On this day in 1512, the public is allowed its first look at the ceiling of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel. It has been closed for 4 years while master artist Michelangelo Buonarotti painted a complex series of frescoes on the ceiling, the most famous of which will become The Creation of Adam.


On this day in 1950, 2 members of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party walk up the front steps of Blair House and start shooting into the building. Blair House is temporarily the home of the President while a massive restoration of the White House is underway. One Secret Service agent is killed, as is one of the would-be assassins. The other is captured and tells authorities they hoped to strike a blow for Puerto Rican independence by killing President Truman. It was a poorly planned attempt: the suspect admits they did not even know if Truman was home when they made their attempt. In fact, Truman and his wife were in residence, and unfazed by the attempt. Truman continued his schedule for the day uninterrupted. He also commuted his would-be killer's sentence of death 2 years later.

On this day in 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour writes an important letter to Britain’s most illustrious Jewish citizen, Baron Lionel Walter Rothschild, expressing the British government’s support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The letter would eventually become known as the Balfour Declaration.

On this day in 1947, Howard Hughes takes his prototype H-4 aircraft, nicknamed "Spruce Goose," out for a test spin. Built out of wood to save money and designed with the concept of troop transport in mind, it is the largest fixed wing ever built. It was so long in development (first proposed in 1941) that the H-4 missed the war, but Hughes was determined to prove the flying boat would work. On this day, he pulls the plane 70 feet in the air for about a mile. Congress, however, would ultimately reject further development, saying the wooden frame wouldn't hold up for extended flights.

On this day in 1948, incumbent President Harry Truman defeats NY Governor Thomas Dewey to win re-election. In the days before the election, polls have Dewey so far in front that the Chicago Tribune incorrectly declares him the winner in its early edition, long before the majority of votes have been counted.

On this day in 1986, the Lebanese magazine Ash-Shiraa breaks the story that the US is secretly selling arms to Iran in an attempt to get 7 American hostages being held in Lebanon released. The Iranians were to use their influence to see the hostages released in exchange for the arms (Iran was the subject of an arms embargo at the time). But it comes to light that the the Reagan Administration hoped to use the proceeds of the arms sale to fund the Contras in Nicaragua. Further funding of the Contras by the government had been prohibited by Congress. 12 members of the Administration would be indicted, including Secretary of Defense Caspar Wienberger, national security advisor John Poindexter, and National Security Council member Col. Oliver North.


On this day in 1957, a Siberian husky named Laika becomes the first living being from Earth to go into space. Launched by the USSR aboard Sputnik 2, Laika survived for several days in space, kept alive by a sophisticated life-support system. Electrodes attached to her body provided scientists on the ground with important information about the biological effects of space travel. She died after the batteries of her life-support system ran down. The Soviets would launch at least a dozen more dogs into space in preparation for the first manned Soviet space mission in April 1961. Several were recovered alive.

On this day in 1954, Toho Studios in Japan release Gojira, a movie about a pre-historic monster brought out of its dormancy by nuclear tests on a remote island, which proceeds to attack Japan and lay waste to Tokyo. It is nominated for two Japanese Film Association Awards, and wins Best Special Effects. Two years later, a heavily re-edited version, including English dialogue, is released in the US as Godzilla, King of the Monsters. To date, Gojira/Godzilla has appeared in 33 films, along with countless other merchandising, and is recognized by Guiness as the longest running movie franchise in history.

On this day in 1979, radical Islamic followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini storm the US Embassy in Tehran, Iran, taking 90 hostages. The radicals were enraged that the US had allowed the deposed Shah to enter our country for medical treatment. They would release 38 non-American hostages, along with women and minorities, over the next 2 weeks. The remaining 52, all white, male Americans, will remain in captivity for the next 14 months.


On this day in 1922, British archaeologist Howard "Indiana" Carter and his team discover the entrance to King Tut's tomb, in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. It will be another 3 weeks before Carter gains entrance to the tomb.

On this day in 1956, Soviet tanks roll into Budapest, Hungary, killing thousands of civilians and crushing the 12-day old rebellion against the Soviet occupation of the country.

On this day in 1940, Franklin Delano Roosevelt wins an unprecedented third term as President of the United States. Roosevelt campaigned on a promise of American neutrality in the growing war in Europe, but as the war grew on Roosevelt became more aggressive in lending help to Great Britain.

On this day in 1605, British justice of the peace Sir Thomas Knyvet finds Guy Fawkes lurking in a basement of Parliament. Detaining him and ordering a search of the premises, his men find 20 barrels of gunpowder, and Fawkes is arrested. Tortured on the rack, Fawkes proclaims himself to be part of an English Catholic plot to overthrow the Protestant-based government. The gunpowder was to be exploded later that day while Parliament was in session, with King James I in attendance. Fawkes was sentenced to death, William Wallace-style, but jumped from the scaffold on broke his neck, January 31, 1606.

On this day in 2009, Major Nidal Hasan, a US Army psychiatrist, opens fire in the Ft. Hood (TX) Processing Center, where hundreds of soldiers are preparing for overseas deployment. 13 are killed and more than 30 wounded in the worst mass shooting ever on a US military installation. An investigation reveals Hasan, the son of Palestinian immigrants, had been promoted repeatedly despite reports that his behavior had shown increasing radical Islamic tendencies. He was dishonorable discharged and sentenced to death and currently resides in Leavenworth.